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This picture shows what the Venus transit in 2004 may look like. The big black dot near the bottom is Venus. The yellow arrows show how Venus will move during the transit. This illustration is original Windows to the Universe artwork created by Randy Russell. The image of the Sun is courtesy SOHO (ESA & NASA); information on the apparent size and path of Venus courtesy Fred Espenak, NASA's GSFC.

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Venus Transit in June 2004News story originally written on June 2, 2004

Astronomers are excited about a rare event that will happen in early
June 2004. There will be a transit of the
planet Venus on June 8, 2004. "Transit" is
a word used by astronomers when a planet moves between Earth and the
Sun. A transit is a bit like an eclipse
of the Sun, when the Moon moves between
Earth and the Sun.

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